Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey is the definitive
business planning tool supporting strategic planning & investment
decisions in the satellite industry. Released annually, it provides the
most complete and accurate picture of market conditions and extensive,
insightful analysis of market trends.

Within the context of this very competitive and turbulent landscape, the
satellite communications sector must embrace innovation as a means to
recover and thrive over the coming decade. Despite a decline of over $2
billion in annual regular capacity revenues, the author forecasts the
total market to grow to $15.3 billion in 2026. Revenue growth is to be
largely carried by HTS systems that are better positioned to address the
growing demand of data-centric applications.

The last two years have confirmed the appeal of HTS for several user
segments through the signing of capacity contracts and the endorsement
of broadband LEO constellation projects by companies such as SoftBank.
The leasing of larger capacity volumes will however be at the expense of
lower pricing, also in a context of heightening competition. HTS market
revenues should increase significantly over the coming decade to more
than 50% of FSS market revenues by 2026. Moving forward, HTS systems
will represent a driving force for data segments, with regular wide-beam
capacity continuing to occupy a complementary role. This regular
capacity will remain key to the TV broadcasting business.

As part of the satellite capacity shall increasingly become a commodity
product, some satellite operators are transitioning from wholesale
bandwidth supplier to managed service providers to get closer to the
end-customer and to avoid the commodity price trap. At the same time,
growth opportunities will continue to materialize such as those found in
emerging regions, with TV distribution, government programs for rural
connectivity, enterprise networks and cellular backhaul all continuing
to grow over the next ten years. In the most mature markets, some
historical businesses will erode, potentially including TV distribution.
In the meantime, new growth opportunities for mobility, broadband access
and wireless network extension should be enabled by new satellite
solutions.